


The Only Answer to a Marriage Proposal

by LittleRedRoseontheValley (TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns)



Category: Desire & Decorum (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Inheritance, Marriage Proposal, Romance, Widowed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27136117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns/pseuds/LittleRedRoseontheValley
Summary: Susan asks Ernest to marry her in order to fulfill her father’s wishes. He is adamantly against the idea.
Relationships: Ernest Sinclaire/Main Character (Desire & Decorum)
Kudos: 10





	The Only Answer to a Marriage Proposal

Lady Susan Beauchamp was a practical woman. She had no time and no patience for the stupidly circuitous, exhausting rituals of country nobility. Of deceit and pretence and scheming. It bored her, regardless of her proficiency in such activities. She saw an obstacle towards her ascension, she was to remove it the most efficient way possible.

She was starting to regret the way she chose to handle things.

"No, Susan. I cannot do as you ask of me. It is too much." He shook his head adamantly, his soft mane of chestnut hair flying back and forth with the motion. His voice sounded weak and shaky.

She suppressed her instinct to roll her eyes and tried to calm him. She stepped closer and reached out to touch his cheek. "Ernest, I…"

He pushed her hand away, taking a step back. "No, Susan! I cannot, I _will_ not do that to you. I cannot be with you. I love you too much."

The obstacle between Susan and her inheritance was a suitable marriage. One with the very wealthy, very respectable Ernest Sinclaire would make such an impediment magically disappear. It did help to bear such burden the fact that he was a handsome man and she cared for him, as much as he did for her.

Yet, he made it appear as if she asked him to commit regicide on her behalf, so strongly he felt against it.

He lifted his chin and looked up at her, his auburn, shiny eyes revealing a vulnerability that filled her with compassion.

She closed the gap between them again, refusing to give up on him. This time he did not move away. She encircled his waist with her slender arms and she felt his body stiffen, before relaxing audibly.

He brought his arms up around her shoulders and held on tightly, dropping his head to the crook of her neck. She felt him shaking his head side to side.

"I love you too much to submit you to that, Susan. I understand why you ask me this, and I am most sorry to refuse, but there is no way." He whispered again between ragged breaths.

She brought a hand up to cradle the back of his head, weaving her fingers into his wavy hair.

"I love you, Ernest, and you love me. There is no reason to fear." She whispered quietly against his chest.

His head jerked up at this, and his eyes widened in fear. His body went rigid and his breath was caught hysterically in his chest.

"But there is. I am a widower; I am not new to this. I know what being married to me did to an otherwise vivacious woman, and I refuse to submit you to the same fate.” He argued, voice carried with emotion.

Susan hugged him tighter. “Alexandrina was a different person, at a different time on her life. I am different. You are different, too. We never bathe on the same river twice.”

“Yet, what is wrong with me is in my very blood. What if I am like him? I could be just like my father. Say I am selfish enough to stay with you and we get married and, and have kids together. They shall have your beautiful eyes and your chocolate hair and I will make them suffer, and I will make you suffer, too. How do you know I will not ruin their lives? You would loathe me, and I cannot stand that. I-I…I cannot…" He choked on his own words, unable to continue his case.

The shoulder of Susan's Summer dress was as wet as her cheeks with escaped tears and her heart was constricted tight. She ran her hands down his back, trying to comfort him. She suddenly pulled his head towards her to kiss him fiercely on the mouth. Shock was in his eyes when she pulled away.

"Shut up. For the love of all good and holy, just shut your mouth for a minute, Ernest! Look at me, Ernest!" She roughly grabbed his chin in her hand, forcing him to look her in the eyes. "Look at me! You are not your father, Ernest. You are your own man, in charge of your own destiny, and, dare I say, you have been doing a mighty good job of it."

Susan spoke sternly and passionately, ready to force him to see things her way if needed be, and she was a mighty opponent in a battle of will. Ernest, in turn, looked as if he could dig a hole in the ground and bury himself to escape the situation.

"Look around, look what you have built for yourself. Look at who you are in your heart of hearts. You have so much good in you. You are a better esquire and a better friend and a better husband and a better _man_ than he could have ever hoped to be, Ernest." She looked up at him with kindness and adoration in her big brown eyes, quieting the storm in his fragile heart.

He let himself be soothed by her words, and took a calming breath. He tightened his arms around her waist and sighed, centring himself. “Nothing is more irritating to a shy man as a confident girl. I hope you understand that.”

“Good thing, then, that I am also patient and have no shame in winning by exhaustion.” Susan smirked at him, with the natural haughtiness that her French blood allowed her.

“You are a determined woman; I give you that.” The esquire accused. “I am not persuaded, and you will eventually see I only do that on your own interest.”

“You are not convinced _yet_.” She points out. “I have plenty of time to wear you down. You will marry me, Ernest, whether you like it or not.”

"I love you." He chuckled and nuzzled into her neck, breathing in peace.

The young lady patted him in the back. “I love you, too, you foolish man.”


End file.
